I've been admiring this giveaway sponsor's yarn for a long time. I was enticed by the thought of a luxury fiber that is as soft as cashmere. Welcome Bijou Basin Ranch to our blog this giveaway!

BBR specializes in yak yarn and fiber (aren't they cute?!), and let me just confirm that this yarn is truly as soft as they say it is!! And, not only is it soft, but it's so sturdy and great to knit with. I'm not sure I can put into words how lovely this stuff is, but more on that later... check out the fun interview I did with BBR:

1. Please start by telling us a little bit about yourself and what you do?

We are a small yarn manufacturing company that specializes in fine quality yak fibers and yarns. We raise registered full blooded yaks that have superior glossy coats which are harvested annually. We also supplement the fiber we harvest from our yaks by buying quality yak fiber from other yak ranchers across the country and abroad. Our yak fiber is then processed into yarn at various mills across the country or abroad and sold under the Bijou Spun label.

2. I would love to hear more about the yak fiber that you use to make your yarn and what makes it so special.

Yaks have a dual coat consisting of a long coarse guard hair and a short, soft, downy undercoat. We have very strict policies about removing as much of the guard hair as possible. This results in a bit more loss of the undercoat during processing but the results are amazingly soft and luxurious. With a diameter of 14 to 18 microns yak down is rated as soft as cashmere. Additionally, yak fiber has a very short staple length which results in superior stitch definition when knitted.

3. I had a chance to work with one of your yarns recently (Bijou Spun Bijou Bliss) and I truly enjoyed every minute of it. It was amazingly soft, and the color and texture of the yarn was so beautiful and rustic! Can you talk a little bit about the different yarns and colors that you offer?

We currently have several yarns available. A lace weight yarn available in the natural brown color and a 70/30 Yak/Merino blend called "Himalayan Trail" available in natural brown & natural cream. Our "Bijou Bliss", the yarn you mentioned, is a 50/50 Yak/Cormo blend which comes in natural cream and brown as well as 13 other colors. Our sock yarn is called "Tibetan Dream" and is a 85/15 Yak/nylon blend available in the natural cream & brown as well as 5 variegated colors. And our "Lhasa Wilderness" a 75/25 Yak/bamboo blend, is available in the natural colors, the 13 semi solid colors and the 5 variegated colors. Lhasa Wilderness is by far our most popular yarn as the yarn takes the colors great and the yarn is a dream to knit with!

4. How did you originally get into the yarn business and what is like to run a yarn brand like yours?

A few years ago my wife and I were looking for an agriculture based business to do an "early retirement" into. At the time I was working as a veterinary technician for an equine vet and while on a ranch call I came across some yaks. I looked into the species, found that no one was doing a serious business with yak fiber and the next thing you know, here we are! So far this has been a very interesting, fun and exciting business to run. It is a lot of work with a lot of hours to put in between running the ranch, and the day to day business as well as traveling to all of the shows, be are constantly learning new things, meeting new people and generally having a lot of fun.

5. What will be next for you? Do you have new yarns or colorways in the works that you can share with us?

Without giving away any "corporate secrets" I can tell you that new colors are always on our mind. In fact we have started working on some already. Also new yarn blends. With the success of some of our more exotic "Limited Edition " blends such as "Gobi", a 75/25 Yak & Camel yarn, you can expect to see more high end exotic fibers coming into our line.

6. Can you tell me a bit about your yarn colors?

All of our yarn is available in the two natural colors that come from the yaks, which are brown and cream. In addition to those we have 13 hand-dyed semi-solid colors that are dyed for us by the wonderful people at Lorna's Laces! They also hand dye the 5 different variegated colors for us as well.

7. You mentioned that you raise yaks, what is that like?

It's a lot of work, and there are times, especially when you are out in a major snowstorm feeding them, when you say to yourself "What was I thinking?!?" but then there are times, like when the new crop of calves are born in the spring, that you think, "Oh,yeah, this is why we do this.". Overall the yaks are quite friendly and smart and are pretty easy to tend to. But they can be a lot of work as there is always something that needs to be done.

8. When did you learn to knit and who taught you?

It's actually kind of funny, but neither my wife or I can knit or crochet! The joke around here is that I deal with what goes in the front of the yak and what comes out the back, and what is wrapped around them is my wife's problem. But once it is spun, it's up to the knitter's do do something creative!

9. And last but not least, if you were enjoying a favorite drink while reading my blog, what would it be?

A decaf, Venti, 2 pump, skinny vanilla latte! I am seriously addicted to these since I went to vet tech school, and they are sooooo goooood!

Thank you so much Bijou Basin Ranch for visiting YOTH and being our gracious sponsor this giveaway! Before I announce what the wonderful folks at BBR have sent over for you followers to have a chance to win, I want to show you the fantastic project I knitted out of one skein of the Bijou Spun Bijou Bliss. Meet my hybrid Basic Gloves/Podster Gloves that I knitted up for my hubby...

I merged the two patterns together (more details on my project page), and unfortunately, along the way I had a few issues. I ended up having to rip out my work quite a few times and even after all that ripping and re-knitting, the yarn stayed as beautiful as ever. I really was impressed by the quality and luxury of this yarn. I plan on knitting a sweater out of the Natural Brown colorway in the very near future... would it be rude to gift myself a box of gorgeous yak yarn for Christmas?! I can just put a secret admirer gift tag on it, right!

Another thing I wanted to mention about this yarn, is how versatile the gauge is on the Bijou Bliss. It's listed on Ravelry as a sport weight, which is the gauge I knitted this yarn at, but I can defintely see this yarn being knit in the DK/light worsted range as well. I actually purchased two skeins of this lovely yarn and am planning to knit the other skein into a Helm hat (another ridiculously awesome pattern by Stephen West). The pattern calls for 170 yds of DK weight and I have a little over 150 yds and a husband with a small head. You know me... I like to live life on the knitting edge. I'm planning to knit the hat a needle size or two smaller than the pattern calls for. I'll let you know how it all turns out. Worst case scenerio: the hat will get frogged and the Bijou Bliss will still look as good as ever!

Now onto what you're really here to see! This giveaway's yarn goodness! Check out this beautiful bundle of yarn BBR has sent over:

2. Leave a comment on this blog post by the end of Sunday, 11/20/11. BBR would like to ask if any of the followers have used their yarns either in a project of their own or at one of their yarn tastings that they set up at various shows?

I'll randomly pick the winners in 2 weeks and post the results along with the new giveaway, so be sure to check back. Good luck everyone.

lol, love the bison photo! And the gloves are adorable and perfect for weekend winter camping :). Yes, i splurged on a skein of their yarn during this past springs yarn crawl in Portland. I loved knitting with it and it wears so well. (would love love love to be able to play with more)

Wow this yarn and that pattern are just gorgeous. I wish I had the chance to use this yarn, living where I live, with the closest yarn store at least 100 miles away (other than the big box hobby stores, we have 5 in a 20 mile radius here) I don't really get the chance to use yarns other than patons, or the few cheaper yarns I can manage to order offline. This would be a knitting luxury for me!

I've ogled yak and I've petted it (including at Stitches Midwest this year), but it's pretty spendy so I'd have to have a particular project in mind to buy it. I sure wouldn't mind winning some though :)

First time entering one of your gracious giveaways, what an honor it would be just to hold and try this yarn, from your description and comments, sounds divine, like many of your followers, thank you & your sponsor for this giveaway.

I have never seen yak yarn in real life, but it looks gorgeous and I'd love the chance to feel how soft it is. Bookmarked their web page to keep an eye on their events - in case they ever come out Oregon way.

I have wanted to "test drive" this yarn forever! It would just make my holiday if I were the winner. I had no idea yaks had cream color in their coats; thanks for that tidbit of info about these critters. AnnBan on Ravelryadevine@myway.com

What a funny twist of fate that neither of them knits or crochets! I have heard about this company quite a bit but never had the opportunity to see their yarn in person or work with it. I hope that changes soon!

I've never knitted BBR yarn, but fondled it & had a lovely conversation about yak at their booth at the Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair. Unfortunately, my route through the fair put my visit with them at the end of the day when my funds were depleted :( Would love to have this opportunity to try their yarns! Thanks!

The Yaks are so cute and the yarn looks delicious! I haven't knitted with yak fiber yet but would love to try. I would also enjoy spinning it! My husband and I have talked about getting some sort of livestock... maybe we'll have to check out yaks!

I had the great good fortune to actually visit BBR and meet the yaks a few months ago! Fondling the fiber both pre and post processing was great fun. I came home with some of the limited edition Gobi yarn and some Lhasa Wilderness. I have plans for a hat with a combination of the Lhasa Wilderness and some local alpaca. Should be warm and oh-so-soft when it's done! Just can't get enough...

I ran into this yarn by accident at a CA yarn shop. I'd never seen it before and didn't know anything about it. Except that I'd very much like to try it! It's on my list of yarns to knit - looks and feels divine!

That looks beautiful! I've never been to a fiber show before (only loitered extensively at my LYS'es), and I haven't ever even *seen* yak yarn in person, to my knowledge... but what a fun thing to try! :-)

Funny, I have a skein of Lhasa Wilderness I received as a gift sitting her on my desk right now. After smooshing it and petting it for months, I've finally decided to make the Pretty Thing cowl from Stephanie Pearl-McPhee with it. I'd love more Bijou Basin yarn to play with!

What a great giveaway. Next up on my needles is a delicious skein of Tibetan Dream for a pair of cabled socks. I have a skein of Lhasa Wilderness on it's way to me right now. I can't wait to use these yarns!

I have not heard of yak yarn until now but what a lovely way to give it a go ~ gorgeous yarn and a stunning shawlette... hopefully, this giveaway will give me the opportunity to see what it's all about.

What an amazing giveaway! Sadly I have never tried their yarns but I have definitely felt them many times and pondered getting some. Maybe for my birthday I can treat myself after the holidays are over and I'm doing some me knitting.

I want this so much. I had never even heard of BBR before today but I will not forget them now. I was always afraid of yak yarn before. I thought it must be rough and scratchy but now I know that's not true and I should spend more time with yaks and yak yarn.

I forgot to add to my original post... They have great patterns in their collection. Very modern and usually with a southwest flair. I visited their booth at Stitches Midwest and the Michigan Fiber Festival, and they were extremely helpful and fun!

I don't think I've even seen yak yarn before but I sure would love to try some out. It looks gorgeous! I love your mitt project, too. It actually looks like what I have been trying to figure out for my husband. Thanks for both the giveaway and the idea!

I actually have a skein of their yarn sitting in my special stash pile, it is so soft I love to take it out, and look at patterns, and of course I need to make it something next to the skin for me,,,,,,,,

I'm bad...I've purchased two Bijou Basin Ranch yarns, Himalayan Trail and Tibetan Dream, and have them all queued up for projects (one of the outside colors in Fiddlehead Mittens and some really luxe socks, respectively), but haven't actually knit them up yet. And still I want more.

I have not tried any BBR yarns. However, I have knit with yak. What a wonderful fiber to work with! Very soft, and quite warm. A friend spun me up some sport weight 50/50 Yak/Blue Faced Leicester, which I turned into a cowl. If you wanna see it you can find me on ravelry (franklybeka).

Gorgeous! I have never used your yarn because I only learned about it now at YOTH. But, that will end very soon. I have a friend with MS for whom I am knitting various projects as her internal thermostat isn't working and she is always cold. Off to your Web site to check out where to buy and patterns.

I love the Bijou spun yarns, in all of their incarnations, and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Carl and Eileen. They are good people and have developed a quality product that is a joy to use (not that I've actually used any of the stuff I've bought from them :-))

First time I hear about yak yarn. I've never actually seen any yaks either but they look quite impressive to me! Your description of the yarn makes it very tempting! I love the podster gloves too! Thank you for that cool contest!